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alex_johnson_2021's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
5.0
I think this memoir did a good job with detailing Jada's early life and understanding why she is the person that she is. She admits that there were mistakes that she made in her life, and she's actively trying to be a better person. I even like the portions at the end where she asks the readers questions about their lives based on the theme(s) of the chapter. My only issue with this book is that it does feel a bit long to go through and a bit too enlightened. There is a sense of distance, especially when it comes to explaining the entanglement between her and August and I wished she would have went a bit deeper to explain it, rather than a rushed section.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Abandonment
kshertz's review
inspiring
medium-paced
3.75
Jada has lead a fascinating life. The more I learned though, the harder it was for me to understand a lot of her choices. She seems very lost but I’m hoping this religious quest helps her find the meaning she’s looking for. There’s a lot to say for her never giving up with all she’s been through. She doesn’t care if she’s likeable, she just wants to be real. But hard to read a book about someone that is so unlikeable! Catch 22.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
hesticht's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism
Minor: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Abandonment
emquegeeaye's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This was a very good, well thought out, well-written, thought provoking and insightful book. Jada did her big one with this. It felt very truthful and honest and I left this book with a better understanding of who Jada is. I felt like I was on the journey with her to get to know who she is bc she'd lost herself so long ago. Oftentimes we get lost in being a wife, mother, house manager & having our own careers that we just don't take time for us and lose sight of who we are. We also don't realize how childhood fears and traumas shape our lives into adulthood. Both Jada and Will have a lot of similar childhood traumas they just react to them differently. Will might make a joke or might shut down completely but he always smiles through it as if it doesn't affect him. A trauma response. Jada on the other hand would lash out, curse, self soothe with alcohol & "grown up time" 😉 and eventually she deferred to Will's go-to method of coping by smiling through it. The problems or perceived problems they have in their marriage is not for me to judge bc those are their problems and they deal with them accordingly. And what works for them may not work for others. Especially those not in their tax bracket. Bc what they go through on a daily basis and what they've gone through for the last 30 years is what my mawmaw would say are "rich people's problems". And idk nothing about that. But my biggest takeaways from this book are that she loves Will deeply. And at times she's loved this man more than she loved herself. Gotta keep in mind she met this married man when she was very young, inexperienced in relationships and new to her fame so she hadn't quite figured out who Jada was as a celebrity or Jada the adult. Shes been with this man her whole entire adult life. And I can understand where she's coming from in that aspect bc I've been with my husband since I was 18. I've been with him longer as an adult than I was a child. And sometimes you just need to find yourself and figure out who you are separately and aside from being someone's wife or mom. She loves and adores her children. And she also loves and is loved deeply by her friends. And that is a blessing. Bc she still has a lot of the same friends from early childhood and her teen years. Everybody can't say that. I also loved the questions she would ask. Seemed like it was those questions you get in therapy. Your "homework". And the recommendation of books that have helped her along her journey. I will be picking them up. Overall great book. I would recommend to anybody who just wants to figure out how to find your true self and know your worth. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol